Air directing louver device



March 15, 1960 D. GOETTL ErAL 2,928,332

AIR DIRECTING LOUVER DEVICE Filed Feb. 11, '1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

ADAM D. GOETTL GUST. GOETTL ALBERT B. GOETTL March 15, 1960 A. D. GOETTL ET AL AIR DIRECTING LOUVER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 11, 1957 INVENTORS- Am D f CTING LOUVER DEVICE Adam D. Goettl, Albert B. Goettl, and Gust Goettl, Phoenix, Ariz.

Application February 11, 1957, Serial No. 639,383

3 Claims. (Cl. 98-40) This invention relates to an air directing louver device and more particularly to improvements over co-pending patent applications Serial No. 583,016, filed May 7, 1956, and Serial No. 614,662, filed October 8, 1956; the present invention relating more particularly to hearing devices for pivotally mounting adjustable slats of air directing louver devices.

Air directing louver devices having pivotally adjustable intersecting slats require mounting bearings for holding the slats in adjusted position relative to each other and which readily permit simple and economical assembly of the slats in a supporting frame.

It is desirable to provide an assembly of intersecting louver slats wherein bearings hold the slats in adjusted position and also tend to force the slats together at intersecting bearing portions.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air directing louver device having intersecting slats provided with bearing means tending to force the intersecting portions of the slats together, and also tending frictionally to hold the slats in angularly adjusted positions as desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air directing louver device of this class having bearing means which facilitates the assembly of intersecting slats ina louver frame. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide an air directing louver device of this class which is so constructed that the slat supporting frame and bearing structure may be cast in a single piece of resilient or flexible plastic material.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air directing louver device having intersecting slats and supporting frame structures which may be economically mass produced by plastic injection molding machinery.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a side elevational view of an air directing louver device in accordance with the present invention showing a rectangular frame thereof and a few intersectin slats in the frame;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view-taken from the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a modified form of slot supporting bearing structure of the present air directing louver device in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken from the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectionalview taken from the A line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a further modification of the present invention taken on a plane similar to that of. Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings the air directing I louver device of the present invention is provided with a rectangular frame 9 which may be cast of plastic or otherwise fabricated as desired. This frame 9 is L shaped in cross section and is thus provided with side walls It and a mounting flange portion 11. This frame 9 is disposed to support intersecting pivotally mounted slats at substantially right angles to each other. Only a pair of slats is disclosed intersecting each other at an angle of degrees while several of the slats extending in both directions are omitted from the present disclosure to facilitat the illustration.

Slats 12 are 'pivotally mounted in the frame 9 at right angles to slats 14. The slats 12 are provided with spaced substantially V-sh'aped notches 13 having closed apexes 15. These notches diverge outwardly from the'apexes to a common edge of the respective slat. The slats 14 are provided with substantially V-shaped notches 17 having closed apexes 19. These notches diverge outwardly from their apexes to a common edge of a respective slot. The notches of the slat 12 receive the notches of the slats 1d and each slat 12 and 14 is pivotally adjustable in the notches of the other within the angular limits of the substantially V-shaped notches, the spacing of the notches 13 and 17 being equal and the spacing of the slats 12 and 14. being equal as shown in Fig. l of the drawing. Opposite ends of the slats 12 are provided with trunnions '16 mounted in bearing box portions 13 in the frame 9. The trunnions 16 are cylindrical portions preferably integral with and projecting from the slats 12. These trunnions are provided with enlarged diameter end portions 20 disposed in the bearing boxes 18 intermediate outer and inner walls 22 and 24, respece tively, of the bearing boxes 13. The inner wall of each bearing box 18 is provided with an inwardly converging trunnion receiving slot 26 which is open at one side of the frame and which diverges into a closed arcuate bearing portion 28; At the transition of the converging portion 28 are opposed portions 30 and 32 forming a restriction and serving as bearing detents adapted to retain the ing box 18 is preferably resilient, being of plastic for example, whereby, the trunnions 16 may be forced downwardly into the converging notches 26 whereupon the portions 30 and 32 are forced slightly apart until the trunnions 16 pass into the diverging arcuate bearing portions 28., i

It will be noted that the slats 14 are provided with trunnions 34 which project from opposite ends thereof and that these trunnions are supported in bearing boxes 36 construction of which is similar to that of the bearing boxes 18. Each bearing box 36 is open at one side of the frame 9- and is provided with an inwardly converging notch 38 similar to the notch 26 of each bearing box 18, however, it will be seen that the notches 38 are not as deep as the notches-26 and that this difference are disposed. closerv together than the diameter of the,

PatentedMar. 5, 96

trunnions 34 in order to provide a restricted bearing detent for holding the hearings in place once they have been forced past the restriction provided by the opposed portions. V 4 V r I 1 When assembling the present air directing louver device the slats 1.4,are first placed in the frame 9 by forcing the trunnions 16 downwardly in the converging notch bearing portions 26 whereby the opposed portions 30 and 32 are forced apart when the trunnions 16 enter the arcuate bearing portions 28. Since the restriction formed by the converging structures 30 and 32 of a lesser dimension than the diameter of the trunnions 16 the restriction serves as a detent which holds the trunnions 16 in the frame 9 and maintains frictional engagement of the frame with the trunnions 16 thereby tending to hold the slats12 in various angularly adjusted positions as desired. After the slats 12 are all placed in the frame,

the slats 14- are then placed over the slats 16 whereby intersecting notches 17 of the slats 14 straddle similar notches 13 in the slats 12. As the slats 14 are forced w intermediate walls 58 and 59 of these bearing boxes. Between the walls'58 and 59, of each bearing box 56 is a plate spring 6% which engages the enlarged diameter portion 20 of each trunnion 16 tending to force the same outwardly and cause the slats 12 at their closed notch apex portions to intimately engage the closed notch apex portions of the slats 14 which are retained by the detent bearing portions 40, as hereinbefore described.

into place in the frame 9 at right angles to slats 12 the trunnions 34 are pressed downwardly into the converging notches 38 beyond the detent portions therein and into the bearing portions 40 thereof whereby they are.

detained in a similar manner to the trunnions 16 in the bearing portions 28 as hereinbefore described. When all of the slats 12 and 14 are assembled into the frame 9 the slats may be pivoted at various angles'within the limits of the V-shaped notches of the slats allfof which is conventional to the structure disclosed in the referenced co-pending patent application. 7

The modification as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing is provided with bearing boxes 44 similar'to the bearing boxes 18. hereinbefore described. The bearing boxes 44 are each provided with opposed walls 46 and 48 similar to the walls 18 and 24, respectively, as hereinbefore described. The walls 48 are provided with slots 50 equal in width to the diameter of the trunnions 16 whereby the enlarged diameter portions integral therewith engage inner surfaces 52 of the walls 48 as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. It will be noted however that the wall 48 as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings is inclined relative to the axis A of the trunnion 16 and slat12. These inclined walls 48 engage the enlarged diameter portions 20 of the trunnions 16 at each end of each slat 12.and these walls 48, at opposite ends of the slats 12, diverge inwardly from each other. made of resilient material and is therefore deflected slightly toward the slat 12 when the enlarged diameter portion 20 is forced inwardly onto the inclined inner surface 52. These surfaces 52 of the walls 48 at opposite ends of the slat 12 are so spaced that they are engaged by the enlarged diameter portions 20 before the trunnions 16 are forced to the bottom portion 54 of each of these slots 50. Thus the inwardly diverging walls 48 at their inner surfaces 52 engage the enlarged diameter The'wall 48 is preferably It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In air directing louver device the combination of: a frame; a plurality of first slats individually pivoted in said frame in spaced parallel relation to each other; a plurality of second slats individually pivoted in said frame in spaced parallel relation to each other, said second slats angularly disposed relative to said first slats, each of said first and second slats provided with spaced substantially V-shaped notches having inwardly directed closed notch apex portions, said notches diverging from said inwardly i directed notch apex portions to common outer edges of the respective slats, said inwardly directed notch apex portions of said firstjslats being spaced equal to the spacing of said second slats, the spacing of the inwardly directed notch apex portions of said second slats equal 1. to the spacing of'said first slats, the inwardly directed notch apex portions of said first slats receiving the in-.

wardly directed notch portions of said second slats; trunnions projecting'from the ends of said first and second slats; said frame having open ended bearing slots extending to the rear of said frame, said bearing slots open at one sideof said frame and receiving said trunnions of said first and second slats for holding them in said frame;

the structure of each of said bearing slots being of rer silient material and also having inwardly convergingportions terminating in an arcuate bearing and provided with an intermediate restriction at the terminus of the inwardly converging portions, portions spaced apart slightly less than the diameter of said trunnions thereby forming detent means tending to hold some of said slats in "said frame and in position relative to each other, said frame having integral box shaped portions disposed in spaced? relation with the ends of said trunnions abridging said bearing slots laterally of the axes of said trunnions to stiffen the frame structure in the area of said bearing slots thereby tending to preventspreading of said bearing slots at said restriction when said trunportions 20 of the trunnions 16 and tend to hold the slats 12 outwardly in engagement with the slats 14 retained by the detentbearing structures 40 hereinbefore described.

It will be noted that the modification as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 only applies to the support of the slats trunnions 16 and thereby support the slats 12. The I bearing boxes 56 are each provided with a notch portion 57 having a width substantially equal to the diameter nions are forced from the converging portions of said bearing recesses into the divergingportions thereof.

' 2. In an air directing louver device; a frame of resilient material having a pair of opposed sides; one of said sides having bearing boxes, each box having spaced inner and outer walls integral with said one side;-said inner wall having an open ended bearing slot extending toward an edgeof said one side; said bearing slot having converging portions extending from its open end and terminating in a bearing portion; a slat trunnion pivotally mounted in said bearing portion; said converging portions of said slot at its terminus with said bearing portion being spaced a distance slightly less than the size of said trunnions whereby said converging portions are resiliently deflected apart by said trunnion when it is moved between said converging portions into said bearing portion; the outer wall of said bearing box abridging said slot and reinforcing said one side of said frame about said bearing slot.

3. In an air directing louver device; a frame of resilient materiallraving a pair of opposed sides; one of said sides having bearing boxes, each box having spaced inner and outer walls integral with said one side; said in er wall having anopen ended bearing slot extending toward an edge of said one side; said bearing slot having conof the trunnions 16; the heads 20 of which are supported verging portions extending from its open end and terminating in a bearing portion; a slat trunnion pivotallys mounted in said bearing portion; said converging portions of said slot at its terminus with said bearing portion being spaced at distanceslightly less than the size of said trunnions whereby said converging portions are resiliently deflected apart by said trunnion when it is moved between said converging portions into said bearing portion; the outer wall of said bearing box abridging said slot and reinforcing said one side of said frame about said bearing slot and a resilient means in said bearing box engaging said slot trunnion, said resilient means exerting force on said trunnion toward the open end of said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jensen Feb. 28, 1922 Reichelderfer June 23, 1953 Calverley Dec. 15, 1953 Hurt Aug. 21, 1956 Goettl Feb. 4, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 17, 1948 

